The Most Flavorful Pan Sauce For Fish Relies On A Simple Method
The delicate character of a mild, sweet, and buttery fish like cod or pollock warrants an accompanying sauce that showcases its natural flavor. Anything too strong will overpower its personality and mask its subtle taste, which is why the most flavorful pan sauces for fish rely on a simple method featuring pared-back ingredients. We asked Roberta Muir of Be Inspired Food-Wine-Travel to give us the deets on this breezy, failsafe technique.
"For maximum flavor, make the sauce in the same pan you've cooked the fish in after you've removed the cooked fish to a warm plate," Muir explains. "Cook the fish first in a mixture of oil and butter, as the oil has a higher smoking point and will prevent the butter from burning, and the butter will add a rich flavor to your sauce."
At this point, you can add more liquid to the pan, such as fresh lemon juice, a dash of cream, or a glug of wine before adjusting for seasoning. However, if you're concerned that your pan sauce may come out too thin, Muir has a useful tip for that, too. "Dust the fish lightly in flour before adding it to the pan -– this will give it a good color and crisp finish, and the flour left in the pan will help thicken the sauce. Beyond that, keep it simple, if you've used a good wine and have a beautiful piece of fish, your sauce should be simple to complement the flavor of the fish, not overpower it."
A light coating of flour acts as a starchy thickener
While dusting fish with flour prior to pan-frying lends it a crispier crust, it also leaves starchy residues in the skillet that combine with the butter (and your liquid of choice) to create a glossy, fishy-flavored sauce. This technique is showcased in this recipe for chili garlic pan-fried fish, where the garlic is fried first before the flour-coated sardines are quickly seared in the aromatic garlicky fat. Lean fish also pairs well with buttery almond sauce that's made with brown butter, a squeeze of some lemon juice, and a scattering of crunchy flaked almonds. Having said that, one of the best pan sauces for fried fish is simply a mixture of butter and fresh herbs, such as chopped parsley, basil, or dill.
If you want to skip the step of dusting your fish with flour to save on the washing up, you can fry your fish as normal, remove it from the pan, and sprinkle some flour directly into your skillet instead. The flour will bind with the butter to create a roux that can be loosened with fish stock or wine to make a flavorful velouté sauce. To elicit a crispy exterior on the surface of your fish, cook it skin side down on high heat.